The Founder of Old Singapore, 



By E. 0. AVixstedt. 



According to the Sejarah Melayu, (Leyden's "Malay Annals," 

 pp. 20-44) the founder of old Singapore was Sang Xila Utama. 

 He was the grandson of Eaja Suran and the son of Sang Sapurba, 

 ruler of Mmangkabau, and he had a brother Sang Maniaka. The 

 more scholarly author of the Bustanu's-Salatin made Sang Sapurba, 

 Sang Baniaka and Sang Xila Utama, three brothers, the children 

 of Eaja Suran. 



It is very probable, as Blagden has suggested (J. E. A. S. 3 

 S. B. Xo. 81), that Eaja Suran represents a Chula king who was 

 at enmity with Palembang and ravaged Palembang's subject state 

 Kedah. 



It is hardly perhaps known to English students that van der 

 Tuuk. in his Bataksch Leesboek, IT, pp. 115, has robbed Singapore 

 of its legendary founder by identifying Sang Sapurba, Sang 

 Maniaka. and Xila Utama with Suprabta, Tillottama and Menaka, 

 three well-known nymphs (apsaras) of Indra's heaven, who on his 

 orders were sent down to try the weakness of the flesh of religious 

 ascetics. They are mentioned in a Kawi work, called Wiwaha 

 (Kawi-Studien. Arjuna-Wiwaha, Kern. The Hague 1871). van der 

 Tunk thinks that the Hikayat Nila Datia Kuaclia, included in 

 AYerndly's list of Malay works, or Ht. Datia Nila Kuacha as it 

 should be called, was based on the Wiwaha; the Titan (daiiya) 

 Xilakawacha being the hero of the ^Yiwalla, against whom Indra 

 appealed to Arjuna for help. Cf. Wilkinson's " English-Malay 

 Dictionary " sub Eanjuna. 



' Mena ' or ' Menaka ' and i Tilottama ' may be found in Dow- 

 son's ''Classical Dictionarv of Hindu Mvtholoa'v ". 



Soc, No. Sli, 19'JO 



